Quick and simple works for most days, especially if I wanted to layer up to something more dramatic by the end of the day. It would be easy to do that with this, or even just to change the lipstick for more drama. The longest part of this was tweaking the foundation, trying to use an expensive foundation that isn't the right color, but it is the lightest that they have.

5 parts makeup again: face; cheek color; eyes; lips; brows.

Eyes: my usual base, including Queen Phyllis (BE); then 1 shade of Ulta shadow (a green) and a bit of Ulta shadow with more sparkle (a light silvery gray) because I needed the sparkle; Chanel greenblack pencil to line; Clinique mascara.

Concealer: I used Maybelline Matte Mousse foundation for concealer again (not the concealer.) I find it is a the perfect color, not too light, not too dark, and much simpler than using two products. Also the texture works well and it doesn't crease.

Brows: La Prairie pencil

Face:
Foundation: I have an expensive Guerlain foundation, but I think it is too dark/yellow so I don't reach for it very often. Today I thought I'd mix it with Chanel illuminator, but it still looked too yellow. It doesn't pick that up, though, once my makeup is complete. But it takes the fun out of using it. Additionally I used more of the illuminator to highlight the center of my face.

Cheeks: rouge under my sparkly mix and over the mix, both Lancome, different colors, but both in the pink and plummy range.

Lips: Sephora 10, a sort of grape color (and tastes grape) with quite a bit of micro glitter in it. I generally don't wear it alone, but I really liked how it looked today. I've reapplied it several times, staying with the same color. I just didn't feel like changing it.

What are you doing with your makeup lately? Is the heat getting to you?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-08-10 15:35:50.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Ulta mineral shadows I was really pleased with how this turned out. Eyes:...
2. FOTD Chanel Eyes I'm still not tired of Pink and Grey, so today...
3. FOTD AL eyes + Chanel NYX lips + I've spent the better part of most days since the...

Wild Lashes by aiibeauty.com
These are really weird lashes (Halloween again) and they bothered me all day because I felt self-conscious about them. No one remarked negatively about them, but I felt negative. The silver doesn't show up from a distance, so it looks like half your lashes fell out, LOL!

They are too long for my own lashes, but I don't want to trim them back. My 14 yo liked them, even though they are long.

The interesting, way cool part is that underneath the silver picks up the color of the outfit you wear (so they might pick up the color of your hair on top.) In the sun with the shirt I was wearing, they were a gorgeous, iridescent, radiant copper from below.

I loved the Aromaleigh shadows. I especially loved Orinoco! I didn't take the pictures until evening, so it is more muted than it began as my hands were up by my eyes fiddling with the lashes.

Dragon: Fascinating green, muted in tone but with a smoked base and pearl luster.
Orinoco: Soft peach lustre that reveals a satiny borealis iridescence.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-12-01 20:12:08.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red Tinsel Lashes + MAC & Arbonne lips Wow! I really had fun with this one! Sometimes serendipity...
2. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red glitter tipped lashes Eyes: Base: Nude Frost + BE Queen Phyllis Alternated on...
3. FOTD Sunday Aromaleigh + NYX & BE lips + lashes Eyes: Inner lids: sephyr's breeze les papillons and earthly delights...

Time for a FOTD again...it's been a while since I've posted a new one.

Eyes: I wanted to go back to some AL old standbys, colors that I love, as well us use a new sample I received.
Outer corner: Lilypad satin petals frost
Crease and lower lash dry lined: Jade pure eyes frost -- looks deep, but goes on brighter
Lined: Black powder on top
Over lined top and bottom: Delilah bete noire glitter -- these glitters look wonderful; I'll be trying out more over the next couple of days.
Mascara: BE Buxom

Face:
comparing two shades and formulas of foundation, applied over Hourglass Veil primer, each side of my face, all else is the same [Olay cream on right; Revlon liquid on left]; Chanel cream blush under my sparkly powder mix; Arbonne Promise as blush; Mary Kay highlighter up the center of my face.

Lippie AL Sweet Tart Gothic Lolita Collection over Down Under Healing lipbalm
This is a beautiful neutral shimmery pink.

Warm mauve pearl from Summer 2009 Natural mineral lip products have an average lifespan of 6-9 months due to the nourishing base oils and butters used in their formulation.

What do you think?
It's no secret I love AL colors. So far my AL lippies have held up well, all but one color which I replaced, lasting over the time frame AL lists for their lippies.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-03-09 11:41:50.

Related posts:

1. FOTD AL eyes, created black lippie Whoo hooo! What a fun look! Black lippie was dark...
2. FOTD Aromaleigh + Arbonne lips + Lauren Luke gloss Still trying sample colors I bought. Both shadow colors are...
3. FOTD Aromaleigh eyes + Cover Girl lips + I felt like wearing turquoise on my eyes today, and...

These are pretty colors! I think if you look at all the pictures you can see how pretty the glitter is on the lashes.

Eyes
Over my usual base product:
Inner lids: AL glowing luna les papillons
Outer lids and dry lined lower: AL vigil of change les papillons

Glowing Luna: A pigmented warm green yellow... or yellowish warm green? You choose. Sparks of copper and pink add an ethereal dimension.
Vigil of Change: Intense deep cool purple with smokey metallic undertones and golden highlights with pink sparkles.

Review
Lined lower: 01 Milani crystal eye limited edition -- this is sparkly with gold flecks on your lid without much color even if it looks as if there were, but on my lid without any other product the glitter felt scratchy -- I like it better as liner, used more thickly so the color shows. The glitter in the package looks sparked with blue and green. I expected silver sparks from looking at it in the store. I'm not unhappy I bought it, but I think the ads are photoshopped to show more spark. I will use it for liner. I used it over the top of shadow yesterday (another way they recommend it) and it deepened the shadow a bit, but didn't give much spark.

Edited: I returned the one I bought. It looked purple in the container but had basically no color, and while it says it is buildable, it would have to be too thick to show. Plus the glitter is sharp, at least on my eye. After it had been on a while I didn't feel it, but at first I did. I much prefer the rocks! collection from Aromaleigh. The second time I used it to line with, the line was too thick.

Lashes: Top lashes from Witches Charm Enchantress set (black with silver glitter tips) -- These are so pretty and elegant! This is the first time I've worn them. The bottom lashes are similar to the ones with the red tinsel lashes. I trimmed almost 3/8" from the width at the outer end of the lashes.

Blush and highlighter: Arbonne

Lips:
MAC Flashmode + Money Honey, one on each lip, smooshed

I hope you are having a great day! (All products were purchased by me; they were not given to me to review.)

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-12-03 12:01:46.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red glitter tipped lashes Eyes: Base: Nude Frost + BE Queen Phyllis Alternated on...
2. FOTD AL eyes + MAC& lips + glitter lashes This was my idea from yesterday, to do orange and...
3. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red Tinsel Lashes + MAC & Arbonne lips Wow! I really had fun with this one! Sometimes serendipity...

More pictures and all the rest of my colors are posted at my FOTD. Here's what I have on my eyes:

Eyes:
Base
Aromaleigh shadows
Mascara: Stiletto Black
Lashes: Ardel Glamourous Lashes -- black with glitter along skin edge
I wanted to try something really different, not just plain lashes as I used to wear. Why not!
Upper Inner Lid lined to match into lashes: White glitter gel -- I might put some on the lower later.
Upper Inner Lid beneath the glitter and lower tightlined: MAC graphblack -- doing this beneath the glitter made the line of the lashes blend into my own eye.
Lower Tightlined: MAC Navy Stain pencil

One major advantage of false eyelashes is that you can extend your eye shape.
Remember if you do this, you have to extend the liner and the shadow too.

False Eyelash Application
False eyelashes are very easy to apply once you know how. For years I wore them daily, then I got out of the habit, when it seemed newer and fresher not to wear them. Now they are back in style again, though I have to say in my RL, I was the only one I ever knew who wore them.

For a couple of years I've been buying lashes, but never took the time to put them on. But really, they don't take that much time.

What kind of lashes
Buy what you like. Try inexpensive ones first until you get the hang of it. There are some fabulous, exotic lashes, very expensive, which I haven't tried yet. But I always put in a stash around Halloween because there are some with metallics and glitter now. Sephora has a number of really exotic ones by different brands.

Here's how I do it
It doesn't have to be done in this order, but this works for me.
Order of Application
Shadow base
Shadows
Curl lashes
Mascara to set curl in lashes so they blend into false lashes
Your false lashes will last longer if you do not put mascara on them. -- I apply mascara first as I don't want to mess up the false lashes. Plus it sets the curl in your own lashes so they blend better. You can put mascara on after applying the false lashes and weave the false lashes into your own with mascara, but why bother. Your false lashes will last longer if you do not put mascara on them.
False Lashes
Liner -- applying this last lets you blend in the lash line, if you need to. Alternatively, you can apply it first and touch up again after, if need be.

How to apply
First, trim the lashes to fit your eye.
Remember you can always cut more off; you cannot put any back on. So I will often wear them untrimmed for a couple of days to see if they really are too wide or long at the outer edges or not.

If you are trimming the width, you might lose a hair or so at the cut edge, and over time, if you wear the lashes a lot, you will also lose hairs from wear and tear. So trim less than you think you need. You can always trim more.

If you do not trim them properly, usually the inner corner (or outer, or both) will pop up by the end of the day.

Usually they are precut to be shorter on the inner and outer ends, the way your own lashes are. This morning I trimmed the right eye accidentally to be the left, but in this pair of lashes it didn't matter. I generally just trim off some of the outer end.

Because today's lashes are so pretty, I've kept the end pieces. You can always trim these into individual lashes and apply one at a time. I have never done that on myself. I have always used a full strip.

Trim the length down, if necessary
Only do this if you have to. I use cuticle scissors, but I only do this if needed. Sometimes cutting the outer edge off to fit my eye, means that those last few lashes are very long, then I will trim them shorter sometimes.

Remember to stagger how you cut them. Make some longer, some shorter. Try to imitate how they were cut originally.

You can trim the whole lash, but it is easier to buy lashes that you like the look of.

Apply glue
Apply the glue to the end of the lashes, not to the bottom. When the lashes are shipped, the glue is on the bottom so it fits into the holder, but you do not want to glue the lashes to your lashes. You want to glue the lashes to your skin. Otherwise you will lose some of your own lashes every time you remove them.

Let the glue sit for a minute or so until it is tacky. You will learn how long to wait by how wet your glue is. If it is wet, it won't adhere.

What kind of eyelash glue
If you are sensitive, you will find that some eyelash glue bothers you and some doesn't. Andrea glue works good for me. Try what comes in the package of lashes.

My personal preference is to use eyelash glue, even if the lashes are self-adhesive. I have more control.

Apply lashes
Center the lash approximately where you want to apply it. Stick the center first, then do the outer edges. I have to hold the inner edge longer for it to adhere better. Though, today, for one eye I had to hold the outer too. It is easier to use a toothpick or the back end of a brush to press the corner in, rather than using your finger. You can direct it better.

Open eye
All colors will be listed at my FOTD.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-11-25 13:38:04.

Related posts:

1. FOTD AL shadows + false lashes I've posted my tutorial about the false lashes. To show...
2. EOTD Aromaleigh Dragon + Orinoco + Silver tinsel lashes Wild Lashes by aiibeauty.com These are really weird lashes (Halloween...
3. Mascara print ads Don't you think it is funny that every single mascara...

Eyes:
Inner corner: AL Sylph en pointe
Outer corners: AL Waltz en pointe (looks green in ziplock, but looks bluish on)

Sylph: Add a touch of shimmering tiara glamour to any shade to add sparkly and shine... brilliant sparkling jewels in a white plush matte base.
Waltz: A soft pale green plush matte base with a mysterious blue-green highlight tone. Use wet or over base for more drama! (Sheen, slight shimmer)

The en pointe collection is very pretty, very soft, but it has more illumination than the plush shades which I tend to use more for base than for actual colors. I would normally reach for a deeper color, but the en pointe colors are very pretty.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-12-10 10:13:28.

Related posts:

1. EOTD Aromaleigh Dragon + Orinoco + Silver tinsel lashes Wild Lashes by aiibeauty.com These are really weird lashes (Halloween...
2. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red Tinsel Lashes + MAC & Arbonne lips Wow! I really had fun with this one! Sometimes serendipity...
3. FOTD Aromaleigh eyes + metallic lips Saturday's look: still trying out the samples I ordered from...

I've been captivated by the current ads for Maybelline Smokey Eyes. The Emerald Smokey Eye ad was simply gorgeous, so I thought I would use some colors I already have to get a similar look.

Green is always a good color with my eyes, whether teals, avocado, or khaki. And I hadn't tried these samples from Meow yet.

Eyes:
Base: MAC Luna, then Meow
Lids: Meow Leona H ScandalEyes, sage green --brighter avocado
Crease and drylined top and bottom: Sourpuss Purrl IdealEyes, olive green with bronze shimmer -- looks like deeper avocado
Tightlined: MAC blackgraph with earthline on the bottom

Lips: All Arbonne
Illusion Lipstick + Gleam Prep and Plump -- then lined with Nice to give it definition

What do you think?
I thought this turned out well. It's a lovely neutral, not as vibrant as the Maybelline quad which I decided to buy.

Here's what it looks like:

Target's prices are better than Walgreen's, but Target did not have the Emerald quad.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts -- you know who you are!

Originally posted 2009-09-12 22:18:37.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Review Maybelline Emerald Smokey Eyes This is a gorgeous quad and every bit as pretty...
2. FOTD Maybelline Amethyst Smokey Eye + MAC lips Eyes: Base: MAC Luna, then BE Queen Phyllis In addition...
3. FOTD Meow meow meow eyes cheeks bronzer This is the first time I've used Meow minerals. It...

Today's look:

Still trying out the new samples I bought. Again, I wanted to try colors I hadn't tried in these samples, match my shirt (wanted a magenta shadow)...do something different...

Eyes:
Base: Nude Frost + BE Queen Phyllis
Inner lids: Cricket l'orchidee (bright lime green)
Outer lids: Heart l'orchidee (magenta)

Cricket: Vivid yellow green with bright sparks of iridescent green.
Heart: Rich deep pink with iridescent golden shimmer sparkle.

Drylined bottom: reversed the color: Cricket on outer; Heart on inner
Water lined bottom: Flashy Mauve Sephora Doesn't really show up on me.
Wet lined top and bottom: Kitty Power MAC Glitter liner -- hard to see, bright pink with gold glitter
Tight Lined top: Arbonne Urban (slate gray color) pencil

Blush: MAC Fuchsia Perfect (cream)

More on the MAC lips at my LOTD post. Date Night + Funtabulous Dazzleglasses.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-11-17 15:45:12.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Aromaleigh Jewel + Wild Coco l’orchidee + MAC lips Still working through the samples I bought. Eyes: Base: Nude...
2. FOTD Aromaleigh + Red Tinsel Lashes + MAC & Arbonne lips Wow! I really had fun with this one! Sometimes serendipity...
3. FOTD Aromaleigh + Crystal eyelashes + Too Faced and MAC lips Well, after yesterday's horrible lashes, these are real beauties! I...

I saw Collection 2000 (Hustle) glitter gel liner in a Lauren Luke video, and it inspired me to break out the glitter gel liners I have. For the most part, I haven't liked them as well as dry glitter in the past, because the glitter doesn't suspend equally so it goes on uneven, but I thought I'd give them a try again. Hustle is a gorgeous color on, and as near as I can figure, it is not available in the US. Collection 2000 is very reasonably priced. I did not try to dupe the colors Lauren used, which were brighter than these. I might do that tomorrow.

Still working through the samples I purchased.

Eyes:
Base: Nude Frost + BE Queen Phyllis
Outer lids: AL Moth l'orchidee
Inner lids: AL Dragon l'orchidee
Drylined upper and lower: AL Elegie en pointe

Mascara: Icing by Claire duo: violet + silver glitter mascara too
Tight Lined upper and lower: combination of glitter gels from Milano duo mascaras (turquoise; blue; white)+ used Claire glitter mascara as a gel liner too

Moth: Pale and delicate iridescent tones appear softly grey, always changing.
Dragon: Fascinating green, muted in tone but with a smoked base and pearl luster.
Elegie: A dark dose of shimmering jewels. Add to other shades to deepen and dramatize, use wet-lined or all-over for a magnificent, glimmering smokey eye.

Lips:
MAC Funtabulous (orchid dazzle gloss)+ Victoria Secret Roxie gloss (bright pink with purple/blue micro glitter)

Funtabulous: Purple with violet pearl

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

M.A.C Lip conditioner balm SPF 15 +Lavender

US $12.98

54m

MAC Dazzleglass Lip Gloss Funtabulous Unboxed 1.92g Makeup

US $18.76

1h 2m

MAC Plushglass Sheer Lip Colour Power Supply 0.14oz new

US $20.69

2h 4m

MAC Plushglass Sheer Lip Colour Big Baby 0.14oz new

US $17.99

2h 6m

MAC Lipglass Nice Mix Up .16oz/5ml

US $17.09

2h 6m

MAC Cosmetics Tricolor lipglass tasty 0.16oz/5ml

US $18.89

2h 6m

MAC Plushglass Sheer Lip Colour Ample Pink 0.14oz new

US $18.89

2h 6m

MAC Cremesheen Glass Loud and Lovely Full Size Brand New No box

0 Bid

US $18.50

2h 57m

MAC WHOLESALE LOT OF 2 LUSTREGLASS NWOB F/S LIP GLOSS

US $29.00

3h 3m

M.A.C. Dazzleglass in Creamy Pink MAC New in Box

0 Bid

US $15.99

3h 3m

Mac Eye Pigment Fuschia New In Box

1 Bid

US $5.99

45m

MAC Small Eye Shadow Aquadisiac 1.5g Makeup

US $25.69

45m

MAC Small Eye Shadow Solar White 1.5g Makeup

US $25.69

46m

MAC PIGMENT in VIAL * SOFTWASH GREY * 2.5 g / 0.09 oz

US $14.99

52m

MAC Greystone Matte Eye Shadow - NIB!! Discontinued beautiful color!

10 Bids

US $11.50

59m

LARGE MAC GIVENCHY BARE MINERALS URBAN DECAY MAKEUP LOT EYESHADOW BLUSH EYELINER

0 Bid

US $200.00

1h 1m

MAC PIGMENT in VIAL * REFLECTS PEARL * 2.5 g / 0.09 oz

US $21.99

1h 6m

MAC Eye Pigment Lot

US $45.00

1h 11m

MAC PIGMENT in VIAL * SILVER FOG * 2.5 g / 0.09 oz

US $14.99

1h 21m

MAC To The Beach EYE SHADOW *SHIMMERMOSS* NEW IN BOX

US $25.00

1h 25m

Originally posted 2009-11-24 16:14:59.

Related posts:

1. FOTD Aromaleigh Jewel + Wild Coco l’orchidee + MAC lips Still working through the samples I bought. Eyes: Base: Nude...
2. FOTD Maybelline Amethyst Smokey Eye + MAC lips Eyes: Base: MAC Luna, then BE Queen Phyllis In addition...
3. FOTD Aromaleigh + Crystal eyelashes + Too Faced and MAC lips Well, after yesterday's horrible lashes, these are real beauties! I...

I've kept my eye on the Sleek iDivine Palettes, trying to find a way to purchase them, because they looked terrific online. I knew I wanted several of the color sets, if I could get my hands on them, but they are available in the UK. I waited a long time to find a place to buy them, then for them to arrive. I wished I had known to look for them on my last trip to London.

There is a wide variety of palettes available, which sell out fast when they first arrive in the stores. Some are matte; some have some matte colors as well as shimmery; some are shimmery. I don't think that any are glittery.

Original looked like it would be a favorite of mine!
As you can see, it has a good mix of colors that look stunning. These have been compared to MAC colors, as far as being heavily pigmented, easy to apply, and colors-to-live for.

What I love about this palette is that it has a really good mix of various colors, all light and mid-toned.

I wore these on Saturday, and I can't remember exactly which colors I picked. I used the lightest yellow under my brow to highlight and see how yellow it actually looked (I didn't want it to be particularly yellow, so I used very little.) I know I used a bright teal from the Sunset palette and Trax from MAC (a plum, shot with gold, looks almost brown on me.) Lined with MAC blackgraph and the other brown MAC I use with it because it needed more oompf.

The pictures were taken after a full day of wearing the colors. You can see there might be a bit of drift, but not bad, considering I had had a long day!

My take
I rate this a 5 out of 5. The colors are amazing. I know I will enjoy using it, either alone or in combination with other Sleek colors or other brands.

Size
I couldn't tell from the pictures online if this was a decent size or more like a credit card size, which some brands carry. I asked before I purchased.

It is not credit card sized (small) but a very nice size -- approximately 3 inches X 5.5 inches, with a high quality mirror that is the same size. Each color is good-sized -- 3/4 inch in diameter. It is convenient to carry on a trip or to stash with your stash.

Packaging
Even the exterior is pretty with the case being matte black and the words shiny and artistically placed. Very rich in feel and in looks.

I would have liked Lauren Luke's palettes to be closer in size to this. The Sleek is more convenient. But Lauren's includes other products, such as liner, primer, blush and lippies.

Value
The value of these sets is also extremely good -- they run about 4.50 pounds, sometimes less. I have newly found them on amazon.co.uk but I don't know if the various stores in Amazon will ship outside the country.

Have you tried these palettes? Do you have a favorite? What do you think?
See my review of Storm here.
See my review of Sunset here.
Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Sleek i-Divine STORM Eyeshadow Palette BNIB Sleek Makeup

US $11.85

1d 11h 42m

Sleek i-Divine STORM palette 578

5 Bids

US $8.69

5d 5h 58m

sleek palette in STORM

0 Bid

US $9.99

6d 8h 58m

Sleek i-Divine Palette Mineral Based Eyeshadow - STORM

US $8.67

6d 11h 12m

Sleek OH SO SPECIAL and Storm Palette (Ltd Edtion)BNIB

US $26.84

8d 6h 50m

Sleek i-Divine Palette "All Shades Available" Good Girl,Bad Girl, Oh so Special,

US $11.04

10d 23h 32m

Sleek iDivine Storm 578 Palette Eyeshadow Mineral, New

US $8.67

12d 9h 18m

☆ NEW ★ Sleek i-Divine ☆ Eyeshadow Palette ORIGINAL

US $15.90

3d 17h 21m

sleek palette in THE ORIGINAL

0 Bid

US $9.99

6d 8h 59m

Sleek i-Divine Original palette (BNIB)

US $10.25

9d 20h 44m

Sleek i-Divine Palette "All Shades Available" Good Girl,Bad Girl, Oh so Special,

US $11.04

10d 23h 32m

Sleek i-Divine Original palette 594

US $11.83

24d 18h 52m

Related posts:

1. Review Sleek iDivine Palette — Storm I've kept my eye on the blogosphere, and the Sleek...
2. FOTD Saturday Arbonne Platinum Palette This is such a pretty palette! Arbonne offered it last...
3. FOTD Friday Elizabeth Arden palette + MAC I've had a couple of palettes hanging around that I...